Macy's seeks national impact
San Bernardino County Sun
http://www.sbsun.com
By Jim Steinberg
Mar 21, 2006 (San Bernardino County Sun - Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News via COMTEX) -- As the last customers sift through the remnants of what's left of Robinsons-May in San Bernardino and Montclair, Federated Department Stores officials are readying a plan to take the Macy's name nationwide.
Last summer, Federated Department Stores purchased The May Co., parent of Robinsons-May, for $11 million.
As a result, the Robinsons-May name, with more than 300 stores, will disappear. And Macy's will become a nationwide powerhouse with more than 800 stores.
The formal launch of the new, larger Macy's will begin Sept. 9.
Robinsons-May stores in Inland Center and Montclair Plaza closed Monday. No closing date has been announced for the Robinsons-May in Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga.
In duplicative markets, where Robinsons-May had the larger store, Macy's will move into the larger location.
Work will begin almost immediately in San Bernardino and Montclair and on a remodeling plan that will include enlarging the fitting rooms, expanding some departments, including shoes and cosmetics, and upgrading restrooms, said Robert Mettler, chairman and chief executive officer of San Francisco-based Macy's West, one of seven Macy's operating divisions.
Mettler could not say when Macy's will reopen in the larger Robinsons-May sites in San Bernardino and Montclair.
Most Robinsons-May employees have been offered jobs with Macy's, Mettler said, adding that Macy's plans to significantly boost the number of sales people it has on the floor.
"Most (retail) companies get a rap that they don't have enough sales associates," Mettler said.
And the stores plan to add emphasis on education, both in-house and through programs with vendors. The goal is to provide more and better educated associates to help the company's customers, Mettler said.
To bring over more customers, Macy's will begin carrying John Ashford and Karen Scott brands of clothing, which Robinsons-May carried, by the third quarter.
Mettler said Macy's won't adopt the Robinsons-May pattern of frequent sales. Macy's promotions will have more clarity and run less often, he said.
Macy's rewards customers in other ways, he said. For example, its best charge-card customers, at various times, may receive coupons for items such as free gift wrapping or free delivery.
Scarlet Pruitt, a consultant for Blacks Retail Analysis, said that to be successful in snaring Robinsons-May customers, who tend to be more value conscious, Macy's will need to be more aggressive in its pricing promotions.
And they will need to carefully stock a few lower-priced items.
If Macy's doesn't handle the transformation correctly, many former Robinsons-May customers will move to retailers like Target or JC Penney, Pruitt said.
Agnes Skaldany of San Bernardino was among the shoppers at the Inland Center Robinsons-May on Monday afternoon. She was browsing though some of the few items that hadn't already been sold.
"I came too late," she said. "I wish this store wasn't closing. But change is just part of the world."
|
